The European Parliament asked Western companies not to advertise in pro-Russian publications in the Balkans

16 members of the European Parliament appealed to international companies with a request not to advertise in publications in the Balkans that support the pro-Russian agenda. Writes about this familiarized with a letter from Politico magazine.

The letter was received by retailers Lidl and Ahold Delhaize, household cosmetics manufacturer Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, telecommunications companies A1 and Yettel, Ferrero confectionery, Heineken beer, food manufacturers Mars and Mondelēz, pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline, equipment manufacturers Bosch and Samsung , and the Internet giant Amazon.

In 2023, the non-profit organization Balkan Free Media Initiative reported that global brands, through agencies and advertising companies, were spending hundreds of millions of euros on Serbian and Bulgarian media that spread government propaganda and Kremlin-backed stories related to the invasion of Ukraine.

One of the letter’s authors, Bulgarian MP Andrei Kovachev, said the anti-democratic agenda poses a serious threat to democracy, especially “in this crucial election year [в Европарламент и парламент Болгарии]“In his opinion, reputable international companies may not realize that they support “Russian propaganda channels” with advertising.

Only two of the letter’s recipients responded to Politico’s request for comment. GlaxoSmithKline told the publication that they do not advertise in Bulgaria. In Lidl – that the company has reduced since mid-2023, and since 2024 has stopped advertising on two Serbian TV channels, which MEPs called pro-Russian.